Problemas con la Comunicación

Communication Issues


Here are some of my most memorable errors of the past few days:


1. "How was pilates?" my Chilean mom asks me. "It was great," I say, "except my men hurt a little bit." For the record, the words for shoulders (HOMBROS) y men (HOMBRES) are deceptively similar.  To clarify, it was my shoulders that were hurting a little bit after pilates. 


2. I am trying to coordinate the purchasing of concert tickets with a friend. I say, "Ugh, I don't have any change because I went to the ATM the other day and when I tried to take out money the machine spoke to me..." My poor, dear Chilean friend looks terribly confused. I have to explain to him that what I meant to say was that the machine gave me (ME DIO), not that it spoke to me (ME DIJO). The machine gave me only 20s, and that is why I have no change.  


3.  Leaving the library, I accidentally scream at my friend, "Be careful!!!" when I try to use the Chilean equivalent of the phrase "Take care." He looks to the left and right and then goes, completely straight-faced, "Of what?"


Such is the life of a gringa. 

The Miners

According to the lead story on the news today, everything will be in place to save the Chilean miners trapped underground in just 15 days! Not that the miners will actually be rescued in 15 days, but all of the construction on the rescue tunnels will be finished then-- which is pretty awesome considering that the project was predicted to finish up around Christmastime. I know I'm not ACTUALLY Chilean, but I can't help feeling super proud right now. Chile was basically considered a third world country just a few decades ago, but today the country is so efficient, and its infrastructure so solid, that it has been able to deal with two major crisis within the past year-- the February 2010 earthquake, and now the mine fiasco. I don't want to get all political in this blog, but I can't help but compare how Chile has handled their most recent national emergencies with how the U.S. handles national emergencies. Here in Chile, the first question was, "What needs to be done fix this?" In the U.S., I think the first question would have been, "Whose fault is this?" I don't presume to be an expert on Chilean politics, but the news is on everyday during almuerzo and I haven't heard one person use the mine incident as an excuse to cast blame, spew accusations, and/or badmouth political opponents. I know Chile's not perfect, but I'm just sayin'... Viva Chile!

In case anyone has no clue what I am talking about, here are some links. :)

NYTimes: Chileans Will Work to Sustain Miners

NYTimes: Facing Long Mine Rescue, Chile Spares No Expense

Backtracking: Fiestas Patrias

As I mentioned briefly in a previous post September 18 is Chilean Independence Day, or "Las Fiestas Patrias." While Las Fiestas Patrias are a big deal every year, this year happened to be extra special because we were celebrating Chile's bicentennial! In 1810 Chile gained independence from Spain and all the people rejoiced and stopped speaking with a lisp. Today, we spent four days eating and drinking red wine and dancing! Specifically, we dance La Cueca, which is Chile's national dance, and which, I have to admit, I loathe. Compared with other latin dances it is just so... unsexy. Why not make Salsa the national dance? Or Rumba? Or Pachanga? Sadly, no one asked for my opinion on the matter, and so the last day of classes before the long weekend, our Spanish teachers insisted that we learn La Cueca. There is a short video below of Spanish class, followed by a longer video of my Chilean family dancing La Cueca at our Fiestas Patrias party, or "carrete". The last video is also from the carrete at our house. Check out abuelo in the green sweater in the back!

Back in Arica

Hello, and thank you for your patience!


What I failed to mention in my last post about Putre is that it is located at 3500 meters. For those of you who, like myself, have no point of reference when it comes to altitude, that's high up! Naturally, our director Rossana wanted to make sure that none of us experienced altitude sickness during the drive up, so rather than go directly from point A to point B, we stretched the 2 1/2 hour trip from Arica to Putre over the course of 5 hours. We also chewed "hoja de coca," which happens to be same plant that cocaine comes from. I was a little skeptical at first that chewing on a leaf would actually help the pressure in my head, but it did-- and almost instantaneously. So we may have dabbled in illicit drugs, but on the bright side, no one threw up! 


The altitude does have it's advantages, and one of them is a sky so clear and blue and beautiful that you don't even care that tilting your head back to look at it makes you a little dizzy. I tried to take pictures of the sky, but my pictures don't do justice to the real thing. If Elisa were here, I'm sure she could've done something way more artistic. Instead, here are a few of my amateurish shots.

Most of these pictures are from the last day of our trip, when we visited
the highest lake in the word, Lago Chungara.

To be honest, I don't know the name of this mountain. But I will find out!

How gorgeous is this!

That would be a llama and alpaca crossing sign

Just one of the many beautiful sunsets

A dip in the "piscina" (pool)  before getting into the hot springs

I am on the left wearing sunglasses

While we were "bathing" Rossana, Veronica, and Leo were preparing lunch for us--
they even brought peanut butter and whole wheat bread because they know how we
gringos love that stuff (of course they can't understand why!)

Putre sin Internet

Putre Without Internet


Dear gentle readers, 
Please accept my deepest apologies for being out of touch for so long. I am alive! My group is currently on an excursion to the city of Putre, where Internet is apparently difficult to come by. Llamas, on the other hand, are a dime a dozen. Alpacas, too.


Over the past four days, we have been visiting rural health outposts and meeting with members of the indigenous Aymara community, including the medicine man and the midwife. The population of Putre is just over 1,000 people, 90% of whom are Aymara, so the medicine here is strongly influenced by traditional Aymaran practices. Still, traditional Aymaran practices are slowly becoming less and less prevalent, as evidenced by the fact that the Señora Fausta (the midwife) has no apprentice. 


So much more to write, but today is our last day in Putre and we are visiting the hot springs so I have to get going! I will be back in touch this weekend with more details about the excursion and about the Fiestas Patrias. Promise!

¡Fiestas Patrias!

This weekend we are celebrating las Fiestas Patrias, or Chilean Independence Day!!! It also happens to be the bicentennial! Pictures forthcoming. 


Also, I killed a giant spider last night with a sandal. My first and dear God I hope last. Eww. 

¡Que rico!

How rich?

How flavorful?

I don't even know... 

I am not sure exactly how the phrase translates, but every time my family members try a new food they all say, "¡Que rico!" At first I thought it meant a very hearty, filling food (like a meat and potatoes type dish), and then I went through a phase where I thought it meant sweet (like a dessert), but now I've come to the conclusion that is just a blanket expression used to convey one's satisfaction with a particular dish. 


Anyway, the food here is excellent, but the eating schedule is very different than what I am used to at home. Thee first meal of the day is a breakfast that consists of "pancito" and tea. 

Pancito. Clearly Dr. Atkins never made it big in Chile...

Lunch, or "almuerzo," is the biggest meal of the day, and it is very much like the American dinner. The whole family come home from work or school midday to have lunch together. I think the high schools have a slightly different schedule because I don't cross paths with my siblings when I come home for lunch, but Iván comes home from work every day for almuerzo.  He also sometimes takes a siesta before going back to work-- makes my day every time I hear him snoring! 


Then there is Las Once eaten at about 6pm, which is very similar to breakfast, and finally La Cena, eaten at around 10pm, which I have not really been able to figure out yet. I have heard that some families treat the La Cena as if it were a mini-almuerzo, but in my house La Cena is more of a glorified snack-- fruit, yogurt, etc. 


Overall the system works for me. The only thing I have modified to suit my American tastes is breakfast. Rather than pancito and tea, I have Cheerios and tea, and save the pancito for Las Once. My Chilean family was fascinated when I brought Cheerios into the house. ("So you eat it with milk? Hot or cold milk? Plain milk or strawberry milk?") The first time I actually ate the Cheerios Jessica was there, Abuela was there, and even Cote came in to see what was going on. I was able to cajole them into giving it a try, but I don't think anyone will be partaking with me. I didn't hear any exclamations of "¡Que rico!

How to Fake It

When you are living among people who speak a language other than your own, there is bound to be some confusion. Normally, I would advocate asking for clarification if you don't understand something, but sometimes you  just don't feel like asking for clarification for the zillionth time. In times like these, the idea is to convince whomever is speaking that you are following the conversation when, in fact, you are not. Most gringas just stick to nodding and repeating, "sí," but I have developed a few other mannerisms that are much more convincing in my opinion. As Ursula the Seawitch once said, it's all about body language, so you want to lean forward slightly as if you truly are engaged, and you also want to purse your lips and furrow your brow a bit so it appears as if you are really considering everything they are saying to you. Also, I like to alternate between "sí" and "ah" just to keep things interesting. This formula works especially well if someone (for instance, a parent) is explaining something to you or telling you a story-- in other words, in conversations in which the other person does most of the talking and you are the listener. I would not recommend using these strategies when someone asks you a pointed question. And I CERTAINLY would not recommend this strategy with possible jotes.* If a boy/man says something to you that sounds like a question, there is an entirely separate set of mannerisms you need to learn. Do NOT employ the "nod and sí." In these instances, you smile very sweetly and say, "Lo siento. No Entiendo," or "I'm sorry. I don't understand." Then, as you wait for them to repeat or rephrase the question, you look at them expectantly and widen your eyes to show just how eager you are to understand whatever it is they are trying to communicate. This will no doubt endear you to them even more.

Me entiendes? No? That's okay.  

Some of us gringas with Alfonso, age 3. 

When I asked who was on his sweatshirt he said, "Mi amigo Pooh!"

*jote= creeper

La Romi

¿Alguien por Tenis?

Tennis, Anyone?


Played tennis this afternoon with a bunch of carabineros-in-training. (I believe carabineros have already come up in this blog. They are ubiquitous in these parts!) My friend Abi's host sister Marcela is a tennis instructor, and on Friday afternoons she teaches lessons at the "Comisaría de Carabineros," or the police station. The funny thing is that the future caribineros are terrible at tennis! I mean really terrible! Nonetheless, lot's of fun.

Marcela (in pink in the center),  Abi and I,  and the boys!

¡Feliz Año Nuevo a los Judios!

L'Shanah Tova!


Not that that I would call myself a "super Jew" but it feels very weird to be in a place where the High Holidays simply don't exist.  It's not as if I feel sad, or miss home, in the same way that I did when I went to Hillel for the High Holidays freshman year (Note: Going through the motions of the High Holidays with the Hillel crowd is a poor substitute for the real deal at home with family.), it's just... strange. Case in point: While my family was probably in synagogue this morning for Rosh Hashanah, I was participating in a "simulacro de terremoto," or an earthquake drill.  And, while my family will be fasting for Yom Kippur, I will be celebrating Chilean Independence Day (Probably not a good idea to mess around with the Day of Atonement, but I can't fast during Chile's bicentennial celebration! What to do?!). 


Wishing everyone a happy and healthy New Year. :) 

University of Tarapaca

First day of school

Something exciting?!?

Calle 21 de Mayo after school

Muerto por Araña

Death by Spider


Yesterday in Spanish class, la professora made a point of warning us about las "arañas de rincones," or the spiders that dwell in corners. You should know that as I was deciding on a study abroad location, I specifically searched out spiders indigenous to each location I was considering. So I knew what I was getting into. I know that Chile had spiders. But I figured at least Chile wouldn't be as dangerous as, say, Brazil. So apparently the one spider that presents a danger in Chile is the araña de rincon. As per its name the spider likes dark corners and dirt. For this reason, we are not to leave piles of clothes on the floor, and we are supposed to shake out our shoes before we put them on. Last night, I actually pulled my bed out from the corner a little bit as a precautionary measure! Not only do these spiders bite, but their venom can be fatal if the bite goes untreated. For some reason, the Chileans are incredibly nonchalant about this whole thing. Well yes, they say, the bites ARE pretty serious, but the spiders are timid so you don't have to worry. So essentially, the only thing saving me from certain death is the fact that that these spiders are "shy." The Chileans seem to be content with this idea. I, on the other hand, am freaking out. My one source of comfort is that my sister Cote is 16 years old and has only ever seen one in her life. I really hope I am long gone before she sees another one!

Éxito y Fracaso

Success and Failure


Let's being with success. Yesterday, some of my compañeras and I decided to search out a local gym. We knew that we had a few options, but we decided to check out CorpoBallo first. The other popular gym is called Koala-- very tempting name, but farther away and more expensive. Well, we happened to get lucky at CorpoBallo, because we were invited to join a step aerobics class that was beginning just as we arrived. If you haven't done a step aerobics class in Spanish, you are missing out on some great fun. I don't think I can do justice to the class by describing it here, but suffice it to say that there was a lot of "Arribba! Woooo!" and "Al otro lado," and "Muy bien, chicas!" set to music ranging from Pitbull's Calle 8 to Micheal Jackson's Thriller. We all joined the gym at the end of the class. 10 mil pesos for a month with unlimited classes is a sweet deal!


And now... for the failure. I was feeling really inspired after the gym excursion, so I thought I would go to salsa class at the University last night. I convinced my friend Jenn to come with me, and the two of us set off with high hopes and low skill-levels.  Unfortunately, it was harder to find the correct building than we had anticipated, and we spent a good ten minutes wandering around the campus before we decided we had better ask someone. We were standing around looking like little lost gringas when we actually saw someone we knew-- Sebastian, one of the "jovenes" who had been at our orientation! Sebastion explained to us how to get to the building, but apparently thought better of that idea, and in the end, very kindly escorted us there himself. Of course, we had already missed the majority of the class, but at least we know for next time. 


Up next: Pilates at the gym this evening. Wish me luck!

Corrección

I was informed today that bananas are actually bananos.  


Nonetheless, I wore mine out on the town today, and it was a huge success!

¿Como?

I chose "¿Como?" for the tile of my latest blog post because, roughly translated, it means "Huh?," and I've been using it a lot lately. Yesterday, I moved in with my host family. I have parents (Iván y Jessica), a sister (Cote, 16 years old), a brother (Felipe, 14 years old), and a grandma and grandpa. We also have a dog, Romi, but she lives on the patio. :-/ The family is adorable. When I mentioned that college apparel is very popular in the U.S., and that I would love to get something from the University of Tarapacá, Iván, who works at the University, promptly presented me with an UTA t-shirt. Jessica took great care to warn me about a group of deviant boys in the neighborhood. I know she was serious because she was speaking at about half her normal speed so that I would understand. 

Today, Cote and I bonded when she helped me pick out a fanny pack at the flea market. They are called "bananas" here,  and they are very "in" right now. Bananas can be especially useful at the discoteca, when you want your hands free for dancing. When I went out last night, I can't even begin to describe what a hindrance it was to have my bag over my shoulder as I was dancing*. So you see, it was imperative that I go out and purchase a banana lo antes posible, or "as soon as possible".

Posing in my room wearing my "banana"

A closer look

*A few additional notes on la experiencia discoteca: 

1) Chileans can DANCE

2) The real party begins at 1:00/2:00am ends at 4:00/5:00am

3) The one guy who tried to creepily hit on the girls in my group was an American. Nice job making us gringos look bad!

Gringas en su Hábitat Natural

For the past two days we've been in orientation. Yesterday was mostly safety and security, SIT policies, and things like that. We did get the chance to meet some "jovenes" when some of Rosanna's daughter's friends came to visit. (Rosanna is the director or our program, and her daughter is our age.) By far the best part of the day! The Chileans were extremely friendly and patient, talking with us, answering all of our questions, clarifying things if necessary, telling us the best places to party, uh... I mean study. Truly, they were great! In the interest of full disclosure, however, I will you the one thing about Chilean youth that doesn't sit quite right with me: Mullets. Yes, the mullet is here, in Arica. And it is everywhere. As I told mom, she need not worry about Chilean lovers if this trend keeps up. 

Today was much different. We basically took a tour all around Arica. I will let the photos speak for themselves. (Note: I haven't posted any pictures of El Morro, but we did go there! El Morro is a monument atop a steep hill commemorating the battle in which Chile won the land that is Arica from Peru. Also, because it can be seen from anywhere in the city, we were told it can be quite useful as a landmark if you get lost.)

This beach is called "El Gringo," after the first person to win the surfing
world championship held here each year. This particular gringo was Australian.

See? I have friends. :D

A misty morning at the seaside caves

Many people think that these caves were formed by water, but actually the
rock here is volcanic and the caves were formed by magma

Graffiti in the caves.  It says, " Yo soy la luz del mundo."
Translation: "I am the light of the world."

A little seal friend

La bandera de Chile